Which is Best? Mug, Bowl, or scuttle?

I'm new to the safety razor. I still have a can of Barbasol, but when it eventually runs out, I want to get shave soap. Some come in a little wooden bowl just big enough to hold the soap, then there are bigger bowls, mugs, and various kinds of scuttles.

Which do you prefer? Doesn't the soap get soft? Isn't there a lot of waste with the smaller bowls? I'm assuming you have to clean off the edges, wasting some good lather. Thanks all.

Michael.....

Welcome to B&B!

Welcome to B&B.

An old fashioned shaving mug or a coffee cup isn't wide enough for me to use comfortably. Other than that, there's no reason not to use one. A nice scuttle might be an improvement, but not a necessity. You can manage to keep a bowl under water to keep it warm. I face lather and like a brush scuttle to keep the brush warm. If you use the same bowl to lather that the soap stays in there might be some waste. You can rinse it out (I certainly would) or not. Just don't leave water in it (dump it out) and it'll dry out.

Welcome to B&B, for soaps the bowl is for holding the soap, you don't really need anything for holding the soap itself other than your hand. You can use another bowl, a scuttle or a mug for building your lather in after loading it into your brush. You can also skip all that and after loading lather in your brush build the lather on your face. There are many tutorials on the site that can walk you through proper lathering techniques. Myself, I face lather and love it.

Welcome to B&B!

http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Lathers might help. Lather is cheap. I prefer to face-lather, myself.

Answer: Face

Welcome aboard. Enjoy the ride.

Welcome to B&B!

RosaryMan said:

I'm new to the safety razor. I still have a can of Barbasol, but when it eventually runs out, I want to get shave soap. Some come in a little wooden bowl just big enough to hold the soap, then there are bigger bowls, mugs, and various kinds of scuttles.

Which do you prefer? Doesn't the soap get soft? Isn't there a lot of waste with the smaller bowls? I'm assuming you have to clean off the edges, wasting some good lather. Thanks all.

Michael.....

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The bowls that soap comes in, as well as mugs, are good for loading your brush to prepare it for either face lathering , or making lather in a larger bowl or scuttle. Its easier for me to make it in a large bowl, but sometimes I use my scuttle. I've seen people try to make it in a mug, and it does work, but I think a large bowl is better.

Check out my video. This bowl is a cheap $1.50 ice cram bowl I got at Walmart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFuwdd5Pg1M

I got a new soap from Mama Bear and I'm going to be doing a new lathering video on it soon.

Welcome to B&B, and I vote for face lathering. No bowl to clean.

I appreciate your replies.

welcome to the b&b, i personally use a dip bowl i got from work(target) to build my lather for creams and soaps that come in tubs or their own bowl, for soaps that come in cakes i use a mug and leave the soap in the bottom until its gone. if you cant decide by the time the barbasol runs out... you could always get a shave stick, you know you will get one anyway.

I personally just use a regular mug I bought in South America to hold my soap in, and then I face lather. When I use a cream I use a smaller tea cup to build the lather in.

BlackBard said:

Answer: Face

Welcome aboard. Enjoy the ride.

Click to expand...

+1

Welcome.

I will say this. If you dislike the idea of putting cold lather on your face, just buy a scuttle. I paid a small fortune on bits and bobs for making redneck (DIY makeshift) scuttles, and they never made me happy. Eventually I bought a real scuttle that cost less than all those bits and it's a joy to use.

You can get an idea of whether a scuttle is right for you by floating a bowl in the hot sink water for mixing and keeping the lather warm. If you decide you like the warmth, but you want to stop messing about with bowls, buy a real scuttle. They aren't expensive in the grand scheme of things.

Another face latherer here- only real problem is that you are relathering from the brush and the lather gets cold.

I do occasonally bowl lather and place the bowl over hot water and there is something special about warm lather on a cold day!

Generally I am too lazy so stick to face lathering.

I suggest that you don't wait until the Barbasol runs out. Good soaps and creams, and the good lather you get from them, are a huge improvement and at least half the fun of wetshaving.

tbress said:

I suggest that you don't wait until the Barbasol runs out. Good soaps and creams, and the good lather you get from them, are a huge improvement and at least half the fun of wetshaving.

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+1

Keep the Barbasol for emergencies, but definitely go ahead and get a proper soap/brush/bowl setup. I think that using a proper shave soap or cream does as much for your face as does the razor and blade.

tbress said:

i suggest that you don't wait until the barbasol runs out. Good soaps and creams, and the good lather you get from them, are a huge improvement and at least half the fun of wetshaving.

Click to expand...

+1

RosaryMan said:

I'm new to the safety razor. I still have a can of Barbasol, but when it eventually runs out, I want to get shave soap. Some come in a little wooden bowl just big enough to hold the soap, then there are bigger bowls, mugs, and various kinds of scuttles.

Which do you prefer? Doesn't the soap get soft? Isn't there a lot of waste with the smaller bowls? I'm assuming you have to clean off the edges, wasting some good lather. Thanks all.

Michael.....

Click to expand...

DE shaving, shave stick and no bowl necessary.

Cold water straight razor shave: bowl.

Hot water straight razor shave: scuttle.

The shave soap lasts a long time despite the size of the puck.

I use a 4 inch bowl set inside of a 6 inch bowl I got at Burkes outlet for 6 dollars. I put hot water in the larger bowl until the smaller bowl starts to float. I keep my shaving soap puck in a Old Spice Mug. I load the brush in the mug and build my lather in the bowl.